West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic says forward Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for the club – but says they will not sell him.
The 29-year-old France international has regularly been linked with a move away from West Ham.
“We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us,” Bilic said. “We are not going to sell him.”
Payet joined West Ham from Marseille for £10.7m in June 2015.
He excelled in his first season with the club, scoring 12 goals and earning a nomination for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
In February 2016 he signed a new contract to tie him to the Hammers to the summer of 2021.
However, even though he has scored on five occasions this season, Payet has failed to hit the same heights this season, and the Sun reported last week that Bilic had ordered the player to improve his attitude.
“I expect from him to come back and to show commitment and determination to the team like the team has shown to him,” Bilic said on Friday.
“We aren’t going to sell him, not whatsoever. It’s not a money issue or anything. We want to keep our best players.
“I spoke to the chairman and this is not a money issue. We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay.”
He was left on the bench for Friday’s 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester City.
West Ham are 13th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone, and host Crystal Palace on Saturday.
BBC